Shane and Shane

Shane Barnard and Shane Everett, better known to fans as Shane and Shane, have spent the last several years bringing their honest, passionate, and theologically deep brand of music to audiences across the country. Leading the pack in terms of acoustic worship and soulful, goosebump-inducing harmonies that seem out of this world, the duo have amassed fans near and wide.

Soul-Audio correspondent Clay Barnett, as his bio attests to, is one such fan. It was with great pleasure that he recently sat down with the tandem to discuss their new Christmas project, their approach to songwriting, and how they balance life on the road.

Soul-Audio: Let’s start out talking about the new album. Why a Christmas album now? Why not years ago?

Shane Barnard: That’s a good question. (Laughs) I would say that we tour so heavy in the fall and usually from middle of August through the first week in January has been our biggest touring season, so, we’ve always thought about it, a few times at least.

Shane Everett: We have, you know last year we did a Christmas tour, a few shows, we kind of did it last minute, and the response was really good. We had worked up a few Christmas songs. We had a little bit of “Hey you guys should do a Christmas record” kind of thing, and then we’re going to do another Christmas tour this year because last year was fun and it worked out really well. So we went in in a week and a half or so and recorded some songs. It was fast, but we’re really happy with it, and it comes out next week!

SA: It was pretty cool hearing you guys cover other songs that weren’t yours just because you do write and perform mostly your own stuff. What made you pick these songs on the new album?

Shane B.: It was pretty hard to find these songs.

Shane E.: We were just kind of messing around. We just listened to a few. We don’t know that many, just the ones that everyone else knows.

Shane B.: We had actually jumbled the list out on a plane and then some of it and I just dorked around with a couple of them until we could see if it would even be possible. Then he [Shane E.] sang on the plane “It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas” one time, and I don’t think I’ve ever even heard that verse. I’m like “Dude, you’re full-on rapping right now, Christmas style, and that definitely has to happen. That’s just too fun not to have it.” Some of them happened in a fun way just like that.

Shane E.: I did have that song memorized, but I still had to have a piece of paper in front of me. In fact I usually have to have a piece of paper in front of me even if we’re recording songs that we’ve sung 100 times.

Shane B.: It’s true.

SA: Speaking of recording, you guys seem to like recording your own albums. You don’t drive out to Nashville to record with Ed Cash or Nockels like a lot of the other Passion guys do. What are the pros and cons of doing your own projects?

Shane B.: Our original vision for that was just time and money. When we were doing the Psalms record eight years ago, all in all, we had about two and a half weeks, and I would be in town, then sort-of-out-of-town, then I’d be there for a while, and it was just like “Man, what would it be like to do the next album Carry Away when we only have like two and a half to three weeks?” All of them were like that. Historically, you know, back then, we would put down about 85 tracks per song, then all of the sudden we would have three days left and we have to sing half the record, with only the three of us.

So early on we were put in that position of, “It sure would be nice to be able to just go in and do a song without having this deadline.” And plus Ed Cash costs a whole lot of money. (Laughs) So now can we can take our time. We have really talented people working with us like Joey [Parrish, the drummer]. And it may not be as professional or whatever but we just feel like that atmosphere is worth it.

SA: Up until now it seems to be working out really well for you. They do sound very professional and well done. So how do you usually put the songs together? I know you [Shane B.] pretty much write everything.

Shane B.: Most of it.

Shane E.: He [Shane B.] writes the songs, then he sings them, then I come in. When we’re recording them, everybody kind of gives their two cents. But when it’s time to track we traditionally use a guy named Will Hunt to help us produce, and Taylor, for the guitars. He’s been on the last couple of records. Everybody kind of “dinks” around. Everybody gives two cents. Shane B. will be like “Try this” or “try that.” It’s kind of a hodge podge deal when we’re actually in the studio. Everybody’s so gifted; you want to really know what people think.

Shane B.: Once you kind of get a song, and you get a grit for a song, it’s usually downhill from there. The song and the transitions and all that kind of stuff, once you get it all laid down, it seems to produce itself. It has for us anyway.

SA: Let’s talk about Pages for a minute. Was this album a long time coming? Were all these songs written out months before you did it?

Shane B.: It was almost 100% from the six months before we recorded it. I wrote more in those six months than I ever have, probably put together. Thirty-something songs, and I didn’t really even mean to. I just spent some time, for the first time in my career, just studying and laboring; it was awesome. I had bits and pieces of songs everywhere. So we chose from those. There were a lot of songs, and portions of songs, that we could’ve used, and some that we decided not to use. It was kind of a cool thing to have to phase out songs. Instead of having seven songs and then having to come up with a couple while you’re in the studio.

Shane E.: Which we still did anyway. Like on “Burn Us Up.”

Shane B.: Yeah, I have this weird thing about writing bridges in the studio. A lot of the bridges on this album were like that, for some reason. I love to get a song like 90% done and then doing the 10% in the studio; which is the hard part. But the bridges of the songs are my favorite part. They happened on the day of the recording, and I would be there early with a pad of paper and pen just knowing they had to be done.

Shane E.: That’s exactly what happened with “Be Near” on the Carry Away album. He wrote that one kind of at the last minute.

SA: That’s pretty funny knowing that “Be Near” is one of those landmark songs that most people know you for. When you listen to Pages, you can definitely tell this is something you really poured your heart into; just knowing this is from your personal journal. Songs like “Bad Days Better” are really intimate. Is there any advice you can give to other songwriters?

Shane B.: Man I don’t really know. The advice I would give would probably be bad advice for some and good advice for others. I know that there are a hundred different styles I rip off, and different people I rip off. But in saying that, my favorite way to write is to just clear the palette and just let whatever’s happening come out, and to find a way to do that. For a lot of people that wouldn’t work because they would never have any good songs. They wouldn’t have enough of a framework to fit in what they’re trying to do. I definitely get inspired by Scripture. That’s what does it for me. The more I’m in Scripture, the more I write.

SA: Let’s talk a little bit about where you’ve been. You did some stuff with Passion which was really cool. Yet you guys aren’t a household name. You’re not Chris Tomlin. When a lot of people hear your stuff on the radio they don’t actually know who it is most of the time. Does that bother you? Is there anything within you that wants to be that CCM star?

Shane B.: Um…no [Laughs].

Shane E.: We would definitely like to sell more records, but I’m happy with where we’re at. I feel like our ministry is good. I mean, honestly, I wouldn’t even say that in our hearts it’s always good, but I feel like it’s good work. I feel like people are encouraged and we’re building the body up,

Shane B.: We’re talking about doing a worship CD, we’ve always talked about it, but we don’t usually lead worship at different places. We have a couple times lately, and we’re like, “How do we do this?” It’s like Chris Tomlin versus David Wilcox. Not many people know who David Wilcox is. His shows are real small at this time I bet, but he’s probably, in my opinion, one of the most prolific writers, even Christian writers that I’ll ever know. We would like to sell more CD’s so we would rather not travel 200 days a year.

I mean, I saw Steven Curtis Chapman the other day at an airport, and let me just say, I would hate being Steven Curtis Chapman in Nashville. It was like six in the morning and there were so many people just waiting to talk to him. I just wouldn’t like that. I’d rather that not happen. I would say we usually have anywhere from 500 to 1,000 people come out to our shows, but we just did a run of shows that probably averaged only a couple hundred people, maybe, if that. We had a couple of really good shows. It was awesome. I love that size, as far as a platform goes.

Shane E.: Probably the most fun we’ve had was with the smaller shows.

Shane B.: It’s just a different thing. I mean we sprawl out, and we sing creative, weird songs. We love the theology, and we love to preach, and we get a chance to do that. It’s just a different thing than the “rock worship” thing, which is awesome, and I love it, but we love the smaller crowds.

SA:You guys definitely seem to shine during those intimate shows. God seems to shine through you at those times.

Shane E.: I just think it’s different. When we do those smaller shows, it’s just different. We’ve done kind of the big show for the last couple years. You know, the band, big sound, lights. Even aside from doing Passion, the tours were huge.

Shane B.: We had twenty-something people with us. Bebo [Norman] came for us last year and opened for us, then Phil [Wickham] opened for us, then my wife, Bethany [Dillon] has come tons of times and opened. It’s just been lights and sound. Everybody has a set list. Everyone has a certain amount of time.

Shane E.: It’s very formulaic. Like a show! I feel like we fit a lot better in what we’re doing now. I think we’re better off emotionally and spiritually. It’s a lot less stress. I feel like we’re just now, maybe over the last month or so, just kind of settling in again to kind of what we do. It’s been good for me. I just feel like, “Oh ok, this is what we do.” Not that the Lord hasn’t been doing what He does in the big shows, but I think for our hearts it’s been a good thing.

SA: I have to attest to your humility. You guys are incredible musicians, but from my personal experience, you don’t ever take credit for it. How do you balance your incredible skill with being humble servants like you do? Is that a struggle for you?

Shane E.: I don’t feel humble, honestly. I don’t know if I don’t feel humble because we play music though. I don’t feel humble in life. I feel like a prideful SOB. That’s in life, period. With my wife, or my friends, or whoever. I definitely don’t feel humble. I can be coarse and wrong, most the time actually. But I don’t think we take what we do too seriously. I mean, what we do is what we do, as far as music. In my heart, I don’t think that part of my life breeds pride any more than if I did anything else. I would probably have more pride if I did something else.

Especially if I was in the business world. I’d probably be worse. I guarantee you I’d be worse. I feel like our life is anything but glamorous. It’s hard work and we’ve chosen to do it. There are parts of it that I love but…We got up at six this morning, drove an hour, played some church services, came out here, did a sound check, we’ll get on a plane in the morning and we’ll be tired, we’re working on zero sleep, we drive the bus, set up our own sound system.

Music is such a small part of what we do. It’s so fast, we don’t practice, we don’t do anything. Music never even enters probably, for me at least, more so for him, other than listening to a CD while we’re driving late at night, singing at the top of my lungs trying to stay awake. Our life is basically spent on service to each other and to the call that the Lord has given us. The price is your life, and it’s all of it. We don’t have any left. We’re trying to find that balance of “Oh okay, well we actually want to have a life,” at home, or with different friends and community, in a different way. I feel like we’re in community but it’s just like we’re completely spent. But we’re spent hopefully for the sake of the Gospel. That’s the objective truth of what we do.

Shane B.: I think there’s a pretty thick foundation of “I have no idea how this happened” in our particular circumstance. When someone comes up and compliments us our response is probably like “Man, thank you!” combined with “I have no idea why or how we do this.” I don’t know if our responses make us feel better about ourselves yet. Hopefully it never will. It’s great to hear how the Lord works through us.

Shane E.: I think it affects us more when our response is bad, like when we don’t feel like there is a connection. That affects me. If we don’t feel like we’re connecting with people, and people don’t feel connected with, ultimately, the Lord. It’s bothersome. Thankfully it doesn’t feel like that a lot. That’s a testament to the Lord a lot more than us. But I don’t know if my heart’s been right before a show yet.

Shane B.: “No Not One!” [Laughs]

SA: Any other CD’s coming up soon?

Shane E.: We’ll probably do another one. We’re talking about it: when and how.

Shane B.: We’ve been throwing around doing a worship album, maybe it will be and maybe it won’t. I have a hard time with this. When I start getting into songs I want to have more fun with my voice than a worship song will allow me to have. So who knows! We’ve been so busy for the last year and a half. Through the first week of January we’re just slammed. So it’s kind of hard to think outside of all of that. It took some time after Pages to get back into the mode of writing again, but I have written a few songs that I like, and a couple worship songs.

Shane E.: I kind of don’t want to talk about starting something else. (Laughs) Finishing Pages was like having a baby. We spent everything that we had, every dime, every second. Everything we had. After it was all done it was kind of like a monument of everything we had put into it. I think it turned out well. I’m happy with it. And here we are!

• www.shaneandshane.com
• www.myspace.com/shaneandshane

Related stories:

1. Concert Review: Shane and Shane
2. Shane & Shane Get Ready For Christmas
3. Shane and Shane - Away In A Manger
4. Sleeping At Last
5. Download Shane and Shane’s “Away In A Manger” Today!

When he's not leading worship, Clay is a full-time student and will probably be for the rest of his life. He also secretly wishes to be added to Shane and Shane's traveling band as an honorary member.

Thursday Oct 30th, 2008 • View all posts by Clay Barnett • View all posts in Features

Tagged as: Shane and Shane

↓ 2 comments

#1 Random linkage thursday « Christian Music Zine on October 30th, 2008 at 3:32 pm

[...] for my girlfriend…a Shane and Shane [...]

#2 grace on October 31st, 2008 at 2:15 pm

bravo, friend! great piece. love these guys, and you captured them well.

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